Kids Have Two Helping Hands Each

Kids are such enthusiastic helpers…when they want to be. I assign chores to my kids because I am just too busy to get the house clean. (I spend too much time writing about it — ha! ha!) They do the chores when I specifically say, “time to do your chores.” Otherwise they conveniently forget. As you can imagine, my house looks like six kids live there!

So I asked the moms on Mamapedia for advice on getting kids to follow through with their chores and here’s a few of the responses I got.

Jennifer from College Station said, “I don’t know of ANY kid that does their chores without reminders. Mine certainly don’t! We pay $1 per chore per week. My older boys have 10 chores each, so they can earn a max of $10 per week allowance. There are chores around the house that the have to do with no pay. The chores include do your wash (Yes, I make my boys do their wash!), dishes, sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor, cleaning their bathroom (amazing how their aim improved with that one!), taking care of pets (with adult oversight – they are live creatures after all), keeping their room clean, helping with yard work, that sort of thing. If the chores do not get done, they don’t get paid. If they have a play date or some extracurricular activity, they can’t go until the chores are done. If we are going to do something fun as a family, chores have to be done first.”

Lesley from Missouri says of her 15-year-old, “I often have to remind him of his [chores]. If I don’t, they don’t get done, then I get mad and yell, then it all goes downhill. It is about consistency, positive reinforcement and set consequences. I have taught him that we are a team and our home is ‘our’ responsibility.”

A mom in Pennsylvania said, “I do [chores] and “invite” them to help me. I try to show enthusiasm and give them their own piece of the work to do. If I am doing laundry, I let them help me fold it.”

Kerry from Colorado says, “One thing I have seen with my own kids is that you really have to tap into what matters to them. My almost 4 year old daughter is a neat freak to a much greater extent than my hubby and I can ever hope to be. My 6 and 1/2 year old son is a lot like my husband and I in that he can deal with some level of mess and not be bothered by it. Also my daughter is EASILY frightened by even the lightest of consequences and my son likes to poke the hornets nest and really push it as far as getting away with not following the rules. All of that said I have learned that I have to say what I mean and mean what I say with anything I do for or with them. I have a consistent policy and approach to all similar infractions with the rues as far as helping out. Toys need to be back in the playroom at bedtime and if they are not I collect them myself and they have to earn the toys back. Toys not earned back through other chores during the week go out the door to charity. They will work for it when they know this is the case. TV does not even go on until what needs to be done is done. If a kid turns on the TV and knows that something needs to be done, it costs a portion of the allowance to have it turned back on. I used to have a car that was like a rolling garbage barge absolutely full of crap that the kids hauled out with each car ride and did not bring back into the house. Now they know if they don’t bring it in there will be an issue (collect it myself and they earn it back). If they leave trash in the car I will throw it away for them for a portion of allowance. As a result I have a much cleaner car. Again, know your audience. My daughter crumbles if corrected in even a slightly harsh way, my son tends to need that more strict verbal reminder to get it done.”

My van is also a rolling garbage truck. When I empty it, I dump bags full of flyers, wrappers, pine cones, plastic forks, and handouts from sunday school. I would love to try Kerry’s idea of charging a fee to clean out the trash my kids have left. They just might do a little better! So, thanks to all the moms who shared their wisdom with me. I’m not the expert and I couldn’t have said it any better!